Portable bridge



PORTABLE BRIDGE Filed March 14' 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR July 28,1931. P. B. DILLMAN PQRTABLE BRIDGE Filed March 14' 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet2 July 28, 1931. P. B. DILLMAN PORTABLE BRIDGE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 FiledMarch l4 1930` fffff@ 1 Prf/ly eallya/'a/ ATTORNEY R 1s the provision ofPatentedJuly 28, 1931 UNITED STAT PERRY 2B. DIEM-AN, OF l(.iIR/EAYTFALLS, MONTANA PORTABLE namen` Application led March 14, 1930. SerialNo. 435,933.

my present invention, a portable swingable bridge designed for spanningditches, ravines, docks and girders in industrial plants,

The object of this,

5 etc., and my object is the provision of a bridge for this purpose thatis pivotally supported at one ofV its ends and has its said endcounter-weighted sov that a slight pressure upon the said end of thebridge will cause the same to assume an upright position to permitobjects passing between the space to be spanned by the bridge and alsoswingable to span such spaceV when a pressure in an opposite directionis exerted thereagainst, there being means for holding the bridge insuch bridging position'.

A still further object is the provision of a hand operated bridge ofthis character which has its wei hted end provided with a box for aballast t at affords the counter-balancing means. f

A further object is the provision of )a bridge for this purpose whichshall be light' in construction and readily moved from place to placewhen desired.

To the attainment of the foregoing and other objects which .will resentthemselves the improvement also resi es in certain other novel featuresof construction, combination and operative association of parts,satisfactory embodiments of which are disclosed by the accompanyingdrawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a bridge .construction in accordance withthis invention, showing the same in spanning or operative position.v

Figure 2 is a substantlally longitudinal centralisectional viewtherethrough.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the ballast receiving box with thecover thereof removed.

Figure 4 is an elevation with the bridge in upright or vertical positionand the sup` portlng standards therefor mounted on rollers. u

Figure 5 is a view looking'at right angles to the showing of Figure 4. vl

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view on the l1ne 66of Figure 1. l

Figure 7 is an inverted perspective view llpolring toward the balancingend of the Fiure 8 is a similar view looking toward one of the sideplates of the trough. s

en the improvementiis designed to span ravines, gullies and the like thestandards of the improvement are embedded in one bank of the gully, butwhen the device is employed for spanning canals, docks in industrialplants l' and girders in steel structures the standards are journaled onrollers and are arranged for movement in trenches as will hereinafter befully described.

.Referring tothe drawings in detail and to Figures l to 3 in particular,the numerals 1 designate the supporting standards. As dis closed byFigures l and 2 of the drawings these spaced standards have their lowerends pointed and are embedded in one of the banks of a ditch, ravine orthe like. The standards 1 project a suitable distance above the top ofthe bank 2 and the same are held spaced by short shafts or trunnions 3that are journaled therein and which are formed on the ends of an axle4. lThe trough-like portion of the ballast box rests upon the upper faceof the axle. box proper is arranged above the trough 5 and is indicatedfor distinction by the numeral 6. The bottom of the box is provided withan opening 7 that communicates with the trough and by reference to thedrawings it will be noted that the trough projects a suitable distancebeyond the forward end of the box 6 and has its upper edges beveled orinclined downwardly, the widened portionaof the said edges beingdisposed in a line with the top of the box.

The trough 5 is constructed of thin boards, and nailed or otherwisesecured onthe outer faces of the side members of the trough aretriangular plates 8 whose up er edges are disposed inthe same plane astiie angle edges of the projecting vcorners of the trou h andr whoseends are disposed in a ends of the said projections and whose loweredges are arranged in a line with the to 8 are designed to have theirlower edges disposed over and nalled or otherwise secured line with thelthetrough proper. These reinforcing p ates to the upper edges of thelongitudinally extending beams 9 of the improvement. e beams 9 are ofstock size, and are of the same length. The beams are likewisepreferably secured to the sides of the trough and the ends of the beamsterminate a suitable distance inward of the inner ends of the trough.The beams rest against the bottom of the box 6 and are nailed orotherwise secured thereto. The axle 4 is square or rectangular in crosssection and passes through and contacts with the walls of openings inthe beams. On the outer faces of each of they beams 9 there are fixedspacer blocks 10, thesame being preferably in the nature of 4 x 4"timbers and on the outer face of these spacer members 10, and-Hush withthe outer sides of the box 6 there are arranged plates -nature ofcomparatively of a 4width corresponding to that of the beams 9. The axle4 passes through and con tacts with openings in the center of the plates11 as well as openin s in the beams 9. Bolt 12 passes through t e plates11, the spacer blocks 10, the beams 9 and the walls of the trough 5holding these parts rigidly associated. Another long bolt 13`passesthrough the plates 11, spacer blocksl() and beams 9 to add to therigidity of the structure, and to effectively connect the .partsconstituting the same. The bolts preferably have their heads embedded inone of the plates 11 and the nuts 'which engage 'the bolts are embeddedor pocketed in the second plate 11.

This construction, it will be noted, strengthens and reinforces thebalancing end of the bridge.

The open top of the box 6 is covered by transversely arranged boards 14,the end boards being permanently ixedto the box but the central boardbeing removable so that a ballast 15 may be'inserted in the box andthereafter the central board is nailed to the box. Arranged over theangle corners of the trough and the triangular reinforcing plates 8 onsuch corners there are other boards 16, certain of such boards beingfixedly nailed to the plates and to the anglecorners of the trough', butone ofsaid boards being removable for the insertion of ballast to beinserted into the trough 5, and when the ballast is received therein theloose board is fastened. Obviously a quantity of the ballast will fall`into the trough through the opening 7 in the bottom ofthe box 6.

The beams 9 extend a desired distance beyond the balancing end of thebridge, and the rsaid beams areheldin spaced parallel relation by boltsor analogous means 17 and 18, respectively,A although the upper andlower spacer members or bolts are arrangedf in a lline with each other.The upper edges of the beams are covered by'transversely arranged uplanks or boards 19 which are nailed thereto 11 which are in the shorttimbers and support or bridge over the bank`23 where it is secured toafhigh and which provide the platform fori the bridge.

The outer corners of the beams 9 are rounded and these corners as wellas the lower edges of the beams are shod by metal plates 20. i

The 'upper and outer combined brace and spreader element 18 may beengaged by a hook 21 on the end of a rope or cable 22, and in thepresent showing I have inserted in the bank 23 against which the bridgeis swung, when bridging the space between the banks 2 and 23, a sta e 24that has pivotally secured to its upper end a hook 25 to engage with thelower and outer combined brace and spreading element 17. However, 24 northe hook 25 are an absolute requlrement in my invention.

l The weighted or counter balancingl and pivoted end of the bridge willnormally swin the same to an uprlght and'vertical position and the bank2 is excavated for the reception of the box and trough when the bridgeis in such vertical position. Manual pressure against the upright bridgewill cause the same to swing upon the trunnions 3 to horizontal positionor against the top of the bank 23. The operator placing his weight uponthe bridge will hold the same in such horizontal position so that he canwa over the bridge and, should he find it desirable to sustain the saidbridge in such horizontal or bridging position he, iwith his weightstill on the outer end of the bridge,

can apply the hook 21 to the outer element 18 and fasten the rope orcable to 'a suitable when can swing the hook 25 over the outer and lowerelement 17. It is to be understood, however, that these holding meansare only )employed when the bridge is to span the gap for any determinedlength of time and al removal of the-holding means will permit thecounter balancing or weighted end of the bridge to again swing the sameto its initial vertical position. When the rope is removed it is coiledand placed out .of the way when the bridge is in use and when the bridgeis in upright position the rope may hang from the stake in such mannerthat small children will not attempt to unfasten it and pull the bridgedown. In operationcare is exercised so that the bridge is graduallylowered l to prevent the same crashing into' the bank 23, while care isalso exercised to prevent the bridge ascending too abruptly and this isattained by 'the gradual release and slacking of the cable 22. J InFigures 4 and 5 is similar to that previously described but thestandards 20" are provided with additional spacer elements 26. The lowerand straight end of each of the inra socket 27 provided in a plate28,.the said i neither the stake lCfl ICS

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the bridge construction standards 20 is received 13 constructed platehaving its sides provided with depending portions 29 that are in thenature of angularly disposed ears and these ears have openings for thepivot or trunnion of rollers 30. The rollers are arranged upon the floorof a trench 31 with which one bank of a canal is provided or which maybe built in a dock at an indust-rial plant or along one side of a girderin permanent steel structures, whentravel is to be made from one bank ofa canal to another or from one girder to another girder.

In addition to the above mentioned commercial purposes the improvementmay be upon a small scale and used as a toy for affording amusement tochildren.

The device and theadvantages thereof will, it is thought, be understoodand appreciated by those skilled in the art to which such inventionrelates, without further detained description, it being thought merelynecessary to add that I do not wish to be restricted to the precisedetails herein set forth and, therefore, hold myself entitled to makesuch changes therefrom as fairly fall within the scope of what I claim.

Having described the invention, I claim: 1. A bridge for spanningspaces, including spaced suppo-rting standards, beams, an axle havingtrunnions journaled on the beams, a. weight receiving box supported onthe axle between the beams, a removable closure for the box, a latformarranged on the beams and the weig tin said box designed to counterbalance the beams to swing the bridge to normally upright position.

2. A bridge for the purpose set forth, including spaced supportingstandards, 'rollers journaled on the lower ends of the standards, a boxhaving a lower trough extending therefrom and disposed between thestandards, beams fixed to the sides of the trough for underlying the boxand received between the standards, a shaft fixed to the under face ofthe trough and having trunnions that are journaled in the standards,spacer means between the standards, one of which underl 'ng and beingsecured to the trough, said box aving an Aopening communicating with thetrough, removable covers for the trough and upper ballast box and aplatform fixed on the eams.

3. A bridge swingable from one to another bank of a ravine, gully or thelike, including a pair of spaced standards set in one bank, a troughhaving its sides, adjacent to its outer end formed with extensions whoseouter ends are inclined downwardly, a 'triangular plate fixed on thesaid corners of the trough, a box disposed over the trough, fixedthereto and extendinfr laterally therefrom and contacting with the innerends of the projections and triangular plates on the trough, a pair ofspaced longitudinally extending beams having their outer ends roundedand their lower ed es and said ends shod with metal and also aving theirinner ends disposed to contact with the sides'of the trough to underliethe box and the triangular plates are to be fixed to these elements', across sectionally square axle disposed below and in contact with thetrough and let through'openings in the boards, spacer blocks fixed onthe outer sides of the boards, plates underlying the box, having theirouter faces Hush with the sides thereof, fixed to the spacer blocks andhaving openings through which the axle is received and the ends of theaxle having trunnions 'thereon which are journaled in the standards, topboards for covering the box and the projecting end of the trough, one ofeach of said boards being removable, boards comprising a platform fixedon the beams, staggeredly related brace and spreader members for thebeams, the outer members being disposed in aline with each other, saidbox having an opening therethrough to communicate with the trough andthe box and trough designed to receive a ballast therein to provide acounter balancing Weight for swinging the bridge to a vertical positionand the beams being of a length to span both of the banks.

. In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature. PERRY B. DILLMAN.

